


And Then There Was You

by smoll_ballerina



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, more characters to come later - Freeform, some are mentioned by name and are never there in person, some are only mentioned by name, triplet line are actual infants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoll_ballerina/pseuds/smoll_ballerina
Summary: “I don’t know if I can do this,” Haseul whispered. “I don’t know how to be a mom.”Jinsoul pulled away and took Haseul’s face in her hands. “You’re not alone. I’m here, and I know for a fact that the rest of our friends will be here too.”orHaseul is now the legal guardian of three, 8 month old infants after her best friend dies.
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu, Jo Haseul/Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul
Comments: 3
Kudos: 64





	And Then There Was You

**Author's Note:**

> I planned this silly little fic a long time ago with my very good friend Niko (@/akishios on twitter go follow them!!!) and then it turned less silly and more serious but I promise there is much more to come after this!! I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!!

It was all a blur, if it even made enough sense to call it that. Haseul hadn’t expected that phone call. Just before 9:00 on a Wednesday night. Nothing special happened. She was just watching some show on Netflix. Or Hulu? Maybe it was her own recording on cable. She can’t remember. She can’t remember much of the phone call either.

_ “...accident. We’re so sorry.” _

_ “...your name was on a card...we called you…” _

_ “...dead on impact. We’re so sorry, again.” _

_ “Ms. Jo? Ms. Jo, it’s urgent that you respond please.” _

Her tears burned hot streaks down her face. She could barely make sense of the phone call. She didn’t register her own fingers dialing another number until a new voice was calling out to her.

“-seul? Haseul, are you ok?”

Haseul could only make a few choked noises before she dissolved into sobs. Eventually she dropped her phone and she didn’t really know how long she sat there crying. She was shocked out of her emotional state by hands gently pulling her own away from her face. Jinsoul knelt in front her, looking frazzled and very confused. “Haseul, what’s going on? Your phone call had me worried, I thought something happened to you.”

Haseul tried to speak, but she couldn’t form words. She collapsed into Jinsoul’s arms as sobs wracked her body. Jinsoul tried her best to console her, but without knowing what was going on she was clueless as to what to do.

Haseul’s phone rang a little while later, startling the two women. Jinsoul answered it when Haseul made no move to grab it. “Hello?” she said tentatively.

_ “Hello, I’m calling from the Los Angeles Police Department. Am I speaking to Miss Haseul Jo?”  _ a kind, but professional voice asked.

Jinsoul’s brow furrowed. “No, this is her friend. Haseul is currently unavailable right now.”

The woman on the other end hesitated.  _ “I see. There’s been a situation and unfortunately, I’m not able to divulge information that I have given Miss Jo.” _

“That’s fine, I completely understand. Does she need to be somewhere?” Jinsoul asked, still holding on tightly to Haseul.

_ “We need her down at the station on 1st street as soon as she can get here. We have some urgent matters to discuss with her.” _

Jinsoul had no clue what was going on but she ended the call and quickly sprung into action. “Haseul, we’ve got to go. We need to get your stuff and we need to get to the precinct, ok?” she asked gently.

Haseul felt numb, but she moved on autopilot. She was silent, not answering any of Jinsoul’s unasked questions. She grabbed her purse, slipped on mismatched shoes and walked out of her apartment, leaving Jinsoul to turn the TV off and lock up with her spare key.

The ride over was just as quiet. Haseul stared straight ahead, her eyes unfocused. Jinsoul wanted to grab her hand and play with her fingers like she normally did in car rides, but she kept both hands tight on the wheel. Haseul lived barely 20 minutes from the 1st street precinct, but the drive seemed to take forever. Jinsoul got out of the car and rounded the other side, opening the door for Haseul who hadn’t made any move to get out just yet.

Jinsoul slowly guided the two of them into the precinct, walking past police officers and other civilians milling around the front doors. The lobby was almost empty this time of night. The only person sitting in a chair at the front was a young boy absorbed in his phone. Jinsoul walked the two of them up to the front desk, immediately catching the attention of the receptionist there.

“Um, hi,” Jinsoul said tentatively.

The man looked up at the two of them, keeping his face even as he noticed Haseul’s emotional state. This couldn’t have been the first time a crying woman walked up to him. “How can I help you ladies?” He was kind in his words, and not pushy to get them out of his way.

“My name is Jinsoul Jung and this is Haseul. Haseul Jo. She got a call saying that she was needed down here for something?” Jinsoul was beyond confused and didn’t even know if she was saying the right things.

The man quickly, but gently stood up and opened the half-door next to the desk. “Please, both of you follow me.” He held his arm out to let them pass through and then shut the door behind him. He led them around a corner and into the bullpen. He guided them along one side of the large room and they passed a few doorways before being ushered into a small, darker room. “Please wait in here. I’ll let Chief Lee know that you’re here. Is there anything I can get you ladies in the meantime?” he asked, already with one foot out the door.

Jinsoul glanced at Haseul, who was doing her best to avoid looking at anyone. “Just some water? Please?” Jinsoul asked the man.

“Of course. I’ll be right back.” True to his word, he wasn’t even gone for 2 full minutes before he was returning with 4 bottles of water. “And if you end up needed more than this, feel free to ask for more.” He was gone after that, leaving the two women in a dimly lit room in a police station.

Jinsoul grabbed one of the bottles and opened it before lightly screwing the lid back on and passing it to Haseul. She made no move to grab it so Jinsoul set it on the table in front of her and opened her own bottle. She went to take a drink, but stopped. “Haseul, what is going on?”

Haseul was quiet for a long moment, before she reached for the water bottle in front of her. She took a small sip, only to raise the bottle back to her lips and take a few large drinks. She spoke as she recapped the bottle. “I got a call, before I ended up calling you. I don’t remember much about it, I don’t even remember calling you, you were just there. But they said that there had been an accident.”

Jinsoul felt a chill at what that could mean. “Who?” she asked.

Haseul didn’t get to answer before there was a knock on the door and it slowly opened. A tall woman stepped in, obviously a detective from the lack of a uniform but the presence of a badge. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. Sorry to just come in like that but I’m Detective Lee Sunmi. I’m the one who spoke to you on the phone the first time.” Sunmi was looking right at Haseul, and Jinsoul assumed the detective knew who she was. “I see you have a friend with you.”

“I’m Jinsoul,” she replied immediately.

Sunmi nodded. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, pulling out the chair opposite of the duo. She rested her hands on the back of the chair as she spoke to them. “Haseul, you sounded a little shocked on the phone. I’m wondering if you remember everything that I told you?” Haseul hesitated but nodded her head. “Ok. And because you know what has happened, is it ok that your friend stays while we sort some things out, or would you rather she wait outside and we fill her in later?”

Haseul grabbed Jinsoul’s hand tightly, a gesture Jinsoul quickly returned. “She can stay. I want her to stay.”

The detective nodded. “Alright then. Ladies if you would like to sit down, we have a lot to discuss.” Sunmi set a folder on the table that neither of the girls had noticed her holding. “I have one question to start off with before we delve any further.” She opened the folder and pulled out a small, ziploc evidence bag. “What is this, and why was it in the victim’s wallet?” Sunmi asked flinging the bag closer to the girls.

“Victim?” Jinsoul almost shouted. “Who died?” Her mind was running a mile a minute, trying to piece together all of this confusion.

Sunmi looked at her and furrowed her brow. She glanced at Haseul and quickly figured out that in her shock and her grief, she hadn’t told Jinsoul what was going on. “There was a serious car accident earlier tonight that resulted in the deaths of two people. A drunk driver ran a red light and slammed into the victim’s car. He walked away scratch free, we have him in holding right now.”

“Who died?” Jinsoul choked out quietly. Haseul tightened her grip on her hand. It was bordering on painful, but Jinsoul wasn’t going to let go.

Sunmi spun the file around so Jinsoul could see. There weren’t any mugshots- why would there be if the victims hadn’t committed a crime. Jinsoul leaned in closer and finally spotted the names.

_ Mina Myoui and Wonwoo Jeon. _

Jinsoul’s jaw dropped, but that was her only reaction. She felt numb, like she had just jumped into icy water. Her ears were ringing but she could still hear everything clearly, almost overwhelmingly so.

“I called Haseul here, because of what that note says?” Sunmi said softly.

“What, you think Haseul somehow was behind this?” Jinsoul blurted out.

Sunmi smiled softly. “No, not at all. You’re more than welcome to read it.”

Jinsoul felt a small sense of shame for jumping to such an extreme conclusion. Haseul was just staring at the piece of paper. Jinsoul slowly pulled the bag toward her and lifted it to get a better look. On the paper read a single sentence in Mina’s familiar handwriting.

_ If anything ever happens to us, call Haseul Jo. _

Haseul’s phone number sat underneath the words. The paper was well worn and folded in a few places. It was obvious it was old and that it had been carried around for a long while.

“Haseul, why did Mina have this in her wallet?” Sunmi asked gently.

Haseul breathed deeply as she tried to collect herself. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “We’ve been bestfriends since we were in preschool. I’m her emergency contact. I have her number and information in my wallet too.”

“Do you mind if I see it?” Sunmi asked. Haseul let go of Jinsoul’s hand and dug through her purse for her wallet. She pulled out a similar sized piece of paper and showed it to Sunmi. “I don’t need to take it. You can keep it. Thank you,” she said gently. “There is another matter I would like to discuss, now that we cleared that up.”

Something seemed to hit Haseul in that moment, if her visible flinch was any indication. “Wait. Mina and Wonwoo, they had- oh my god.” Haseul brought her hand up to her mouth as more tears spilled over.

Jinsoul realized the same thing. “Their babies,” she whispered.

Sunmi nodded solemnly. “Mina’s parents are on their way. They live a few hours away and won’t be here until later. They were our first thought to take the girls. Don’t worry, they’ll be in good hands. I’m actually finished with you ladies for the night. We’ll have more information for you in the days to come once the coroner is finished and their lawyer updates us with their will.” Sunmi finished packing her folder up, placing the evidence bag back between the pages and closing it. “I’m very sorry for your loss.” She started to turn away when Haseul reached for her.

“Wait! I’m in their will!” She said through her cries. “I’m in the will. I’m the girl’s legal guardian if anything ever happens to their parents.”

Sunmi closed the door that she had barely opened and silently observed Haseul for a brief moment. “Well this changes everything,” she said to herself. “And this is in writing?” she asked.

Haseul could only nod. Jinsoul took it upon herself to answer for her. “I wasn’t ever present for any of the will negotiations, but Haseul and Mina have both talked to me about it before. Mina was always adamant that Haseul would be the guardian of her children if she and Wonwoo suddenly died. Which, this is, I guess.”

Summi nodded and sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. She checked her watch before speaking again. “They won’t be here for a few more hours. If I could ask the two of you to stay here until then and we can sit and talk this out.”

“What about the babies?” Haseul choked out. “They’re with the sitter right now, but someone needs to go get them. Someone needs to call their sitter and tell her what happened. Mina and Wonwoo are normally home by now and-”

“Haseul,” Jinsoul tried to calm her down.

“- we need to call her and tell her. Someone needs to tell her-”

“Haseul!” Jinsoul said more firmly. Haseul stopped and turned towards her, her mouth still open like she wanted to speak. Jinsoul grabbed her hand softly, intertwining their fingers. “It’s date night, right? They’re normally out late on Wednesdays?” Haseul nodded. “It’s ok.” She turned to the detective still standing there. “I don’t know what your process is for situations like this, but the kids are currently with their usual sitter. Her name’s Gahyeon, she’s 18, and she’s probably confused why Mina and Wonwoo aren’t home yet and why they aren’t picking up their phones.” she explained.

Sunmi shook her head. “No, I’ll call her. For now, I need her to stay with the children until we figure all of this out. I’ll have an officer drive out to better explain things and to stay with her until this is all sorted out. Someone is going to have to stay at the house with the kids until we figure out guardianship.”

Haseul and Jinsoul agreed, not that there was much of a choice otherwise. Sunmi left them alone, and they stayed that way for a few hours. The silence was getting to Jinsoul, but she wanted to stay calm for Haseul. She was never as close with Mina as Haseul was, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were close friends. She was grieving just as much, but refused to show her emotions in order to stay strong for Haseul.

The hours passed very quickly, or very slow. Haseul really couldn’t tell anymore. She had barely touched her water, while Jinsoul had quickly finished the other three bottles. At some point the door to the room next to them opened and they heard people talking. Quickly, loud sobs could be heard through the thin walls, and the two girls knew that Mina’s parents had arrived. They heard Detective Lee’s soothing voice telling them of the situation, but they couldn’t make out most of the words. They had just heard it themselves and knew what was being said. The talking stopped at one point and the door opened. About 10 minutes passed before they heard a knock on their own door.

Detective Lee stepped into their room looking far more tired than a few hours ago. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Mina’s parents are here, they want to speak to Haseul.”

Jinsoul didn’t get a chance to fully register what that meant when Haseul was already speaking. “Can Jinsoul come with me?” she asked.

Sunmi nodded her head. “Of course.”

Haseul and Jinsoul quickly gathered their things and left the room before being ushered into the next doorway. Mina’s parents were joined in a tight embrace, and both of them were rightfully distraught. Neither of them looked up when the newcomers entered the room.

“Mr. and Mrs. Myoui, this is Haseul and Jinsoul. Haseul was who we called after the accident. We found that slip of paper in your daughter’s wallet,” Sunmi explained gently.

Mrs. Myoui pulled away from her husband and nodded at Sunmi, letting her know she understood. “I remember the both of them. Some of Mina’s closest friends.” Her voice broke when she said her daughter’s name.

“I brought the two of them in here to discuss something with you. There’s been a development in the potential guardianship of your granddaughters.” Sunmi spoke evenly.

Mr. Myoui wiped his tears away. “What do you mean?”

“Though we don’t have a copy of your daughter and her husband’s will just yet, Haseul has come forward claiming that Mina and Wonwoo have named her the guardian of their children in case anything was ever to happen to them. I understand that on the phone, it was agreed you would watch over them for now while we work out some details, but with this new information, Haseul will be watching over the children,” Sunmi said.

“No,” Mrs. Myoui immediately answered. “I’m Mina’s  _ mother _ , I get to decide what happens to her kids.”

Sunmi did her best to calm her down. “Unfortunately, Mina gets to decide what happens to her own children. And this is her decision.”

“How do you know she’s telling the truth?” Mrs. Myoui spat at Haseul. Haseul flinched but said nothing.

“We have two credible statements from both of these women. Haseul was there when they made the will, and Jinsoul said she heard your daughter mention this detail on more than one occasion. Until proven otherwise, we are choosing to believe them. The will should be faxed to us within the next day, and we will review it and update you on the matter. For tonight, the children are Haseul’s responsibility.” Sunmi gave no room for argument.

Mrs. Myoui looked unhappy and like she was ready to argue, but her husband pulled her back. “Honey, please,” he begged her. “It’s late, we all need to sleep. This is something we can argue over tomorrow.” He leaned in closer and whispered to her, but Jinsoul still picked up on it. “We’ll get the babies, it’s ok. There must be a mistake.” Jinsoul didn’t think to pass that message along to Haseul at the moment.

Mina’s parents were guided out of the room, presumably to their hotel for the night. Sunmi checked the time on her watch again before turning to the duo. “It’s past midnight, we should relieve the sitter. If you two need to stop at home and get an overnight bag, we’ll accompany you.”

Jinsoul nodded and placed a hand on Haseul’s back. “I think that would be best. My place is closer, then we can stop at Haseul’s, and then make our way to the house.”

“Sounds like a plan. If you’re ready now, I’ll take you back out front,” Sunmi said.

Jinsoul and Haseul followed the detective out of the bullpen, past the front desk, and out the main doors. They got back in Jinsoul’s car, and with a wave from Sunmi, they were on their way. The detective followed closely behind them as they drove to Jinsoul’s apartment. “I’ll be right back,” Jinsoul said to Haseul. She kept the car running and rushed up to her apartment to pack a bag. It took her less than five minutes to get what she needed. It would have taken her less time than that, but she stopped to leave her boss a voicemail that she wouldn’t be at work tomorrow. She rushed back down the car and flung her bag into the backseat. They were on their way to Haseul’s, taking less than 10 minutes to get there. “Do you want me to go with you?” Jinsoul asked her. Haseul nodded her head and they both exited the car. Jinsoul waved to Sunmi to let her know they’d be right back.

Haseul lived in a tiny, two bedroom house. The house was dark when they walked in and Jinsoul kicked herself for forgetting to leave a light on. “Do you need me to get anything?” Haseul shook her head and headed to her room. Jinsoul watched as she stuffed overnight clothes in a bag and moved to the bathroom to grab some toiletries. Jinsoul made sure to leave the table lamp in the living room on the lowest setting, not knowing what time of day Haseul would make it back.

They walked out with Jinsoul making sure the door was locked properly behind her. The drive over to Mina’s house seemed to take hours, instead of the usual 20 minutes. When they pulled up, the light in the living room was on, and a police cruiser was parked on the street. Haseul and Jinsoul both had a hard time looking at the home, knowing it’s owners will never step foot inside of it again. They slowly exited the car and grabbed their bags, meeting up with Sunmi on the driveway.

“Ready?” the detective gently asked. She got two nods in response. “Ok. I already called Officer Ok. He’s inside right now.”

Jinsoul held her hand out for Haseul, who grabbed it immediately. She guided them both up the path and stepped up on the front porch. Jinsoul knocked lightly, not wanting to disturb the sleepy neighborhood. The door opened within seconds, revealing a very tall man in a uniform. He sidestepped and let all three ladies enter the house before shutting it gently behind them.

“Taec, I need you to stay with them for the night. Run back to the precinct and grab your bag, I’ll stay with them until then,” Sunmi told the man.

“Of course. She’s on the couch right now. I told her you would all be here soon.” He left after that, rushing to his car to get back as soon as possible.

Haseul and Jinsoul set their bags by the front door before slipping their shoes off. Jinsoul took the lead and slowly walked through the entryway and into the living room. True to the officer’s words, Gahyeon was curled up on the couch, her face red and still damp from her tears.

“Hey, sweetie,” Jinsoul gently spoke. Gahyeon’s head whipped over to her, then to the other ladies standing behind her. Her face broke as she launched herself off the couch and at Jinsoul. Jinsoul caught her with an  _ oof _ but held her tightly. “It’s ok. You’re ok. We’re all going to be ok.” Jinsoul was trying to be as soothing as possible.

Gahyeon cried for a long time in Jinsoul’s arms. When she felt like she could talk, she pulled back a bit and wiped her tears. “This is all my fault,” she said.

Jinsoul soothed some of her hair back. “No, honey. Why would you ever think this is your fault?”

Gahyeon hiccuped. “They normally go out on Wednesdays but I had a lot of homework so I told them I couldn’t babysit so they moved it to Thursday, but I managed to get my work done and they moved it back to Wednesday even though they didn’t need to and if I hadn’t been an overachiever for once in my life they might still be alive!”

Jinsoul wrapped her back up in a tight hug, rubbing her back to get her to calm down. Haseul came around the other side and hugged the girl from the back. “Gahyeon, this is not on you. This is not your fault, do you understand me? They kept their routine, that’s all it was. This was usual for the two of them, this has nothing to do with you. The only person at fault is the man who hit them, and they have him in custody. Stop blaming yourself, honey.” Gahyeon just hugged her tighter as she sobbed.

After a few more minutes, she calmed down enough to pull away, but Haseul kept a hand on her back in comfort. “If you want to go home and get some sleep, you can. Jinsoul and I are going to stay with the babies. Do your parents know what’s going on?”

Gahyeon nodded. “Yeah, I called them. They said to call them and let them know when I was allowed to leave.”

Sunmi stepped forward. “That’s right now, if you want to.”

Gahyeon nodded again and moved to grab her belongings. She spoke to the two women as she shouldered her bag. “Um, Hyejoo was really fussy when I put her to sleep and that usually means she’s going to wake up because she’s hungry. And Yerim didn’t need a diaper change so she’s going to need one soon. Hyunjin has been kicking her blanket off more lately so keep an eye on that because if she gets cold she’s going to get sick. That’s been an issue that Mina has been having with her. And the monitor is on the coffee table. Um, the diapers and changing stuff is on the changing table. But there are extras in the hall closet right outside their room. And if you need anything just call me. I know a lot about the babies,” she finished her rant, trailing off a bit at the end.

“Ok, sweetie. We’ll handle it. Thank you for staying with them. Do you need me to drop you off?” Jinsoul asked her.

“No, I just live a few houses down. I’m going to walk,” Gahyeon said.

Jinsoul didn’t have a chance to argue with her when Sunmi spoke up. “Let me walk you home, then. I can fill your parents in on any other details and questions they might have.” Gahyeon nodded and headed for the door, waving to Jinsoul and Haseul as she went. “I’ll be right back. I’ll stay with you two until Officer Ok gets back.” Sunmi and Gahyeon walked out of the house, leaving Jinsoul and Haseul alone at the click of the door.

Jinsoul turned to face Haseul, who had barely said a word since they arrived. “Do you want to go check on the girls?” she asked softly. Haseul nodded and the two of them headed for the staircase.

The triplet’s room was around the corner from the stairs, the first door on the left. It was cracked open slightly, and a light inside the room spilled out into the hallway. Jinsoul slowly pushed the door open, careful not to make too much noise and wake the sleeping infants. She stepped to the side and let Haseul join her in the spacious nursery. 

The walls were each painted a different color, depending on which girl’s crib touched that wall. Hyunjin slept on the left side of the room, her white crib touching the pale yellow wall. The blanket draped over the edge of the crib had her name and a cartoon cat embroidered on it. Yerim slept against the back wall, her light wood colored crib touching the pale lilac paint. The blanket draped on the edge of her crib had her name as well, and a cartoon bat. Hyejoo slept on the right side of the room. Her crib was the same color as Yerim’s and it touched the light gray wall. Her blanket was black and had her name and cartoon wolf stitched into the fabric. While none of the girls had the same color scheme, the nursery was well laid out and all the colors compliment each other.

Haseul slowly stepped over to Hyunjin’s crib, and sure enough, she had kicked her blanket off in her sleep. She adjusted it carefully and then sat her hand on Hyunjin’s stomach, just feeling her breathing. Jinsoul walked over to Yerim’s crib and checked on her. She smiled as she watched her shift around in her sleep. “I think we might need to change her soon,” Jinsoul whispered.

Haseul walked over and joined her, looking down at the fussy infant. “Gahyeon’s good at this,” she mumbled.

Jinsoul hummed and stepped over to the last crib. Hyejoo was fast asleep, her little mouth slightly open. “I’ll stay up and keep an eye on them if you want to go get some sleep,” Jinsoul said. She planned to just sit in the recliner in the nursery and watched the girls.

Haseul shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. “No, I’m going to wait until Sunmi gets back and then until the other Officer gets here. I don’t really plan on sleeping much tonight.”

Jinsoul nodded in understanding. She walked over to Haseul and slowly wrapped her in a hug, one that Haseul readily returned. “We’re going to be ok. I promise, everything’s going to be ok.” She kissed the side of Haseul’s head, lingering for a few more seconds before pulling away.

Haseul could feel herself tearing up again. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to be a mom.”

Jinsoul pulled away and took Haseul’s face in her hands. “You’re not alone. I’m here, and I know for a fact that the rest of our friends will be here too.”

Haseul looked like she wanted to say more, but they both heard the front door open. They quickly walked back out of the room and down the stairs to meet Sunmi. “Everything ok up there?” the detective asked.

“Yeah,” Haseul said. “Just checking on the girls.”

“All good then?”

“All good,” Haseul assured.

“That’s good. I got a call from Officer Ok, he’s on his way back right now,” Sunmi said. “When he gets here, I’m going to head back to the office. But I’ll be here early tomorrow morning with any updates. As soon as we get our hands on the will, I'll let you know where we’re going to go from there,” Sunmi explained.

“Ok,” Jinsoul said. “Why do we need an officer here with us, though?”

“That’s just a precaution. While Mina and Wonwoo were killed in an accident, the matter of who gets to watch over their children in their death is a little complicated. We don’t think you need the extra safety, or anything like that, but we do want to just be careful right now. You say you’re in their will, and we trust you, but without concrete evidence, we’re just going by word of mouth. That, and the fact that the only people who technically live in this house are three, 8 month old infants. Chief ordered an officer to stay with you for the night, so we’re just listening.” Sunmi looked at the both of thm to make sure they understood what she was trying to say.

“Do you plan on getting any sleep tonight?” Haseul asked Sunmi.

Sunmi laughed out loud. “I honestly can’t tell you the last time I slept. My job isn’t very conducive to getting rest.”

“Don’t work yourself too hard for us,” Haseul said.

“I’ll stop working once those girls have a new home,” Sunmi said seriously. “You seem like a good person, Miss Jo.”

“Thank you,” Haseul said.

“Do you know why Mina would have left you in her will as the guardian of her daughters?” Sunmi asked her.

Haseul chuckled to herself. “Mina and I used to joke when we were younger. We always said that the only person we ever wanted kids with was each other because we didn’t trust anyone else. I think she wanted to keep that promise,” Haseul said. Her eyes were far away as she remembered those moments with Mina.

Sunmi nodded in understanding. “I’m very sorry, again, for your loss.”

“Has Wonwoo’s family been called?” Haseul asked, doing her best to not let her emotions get to her again.

“We called his parents and they’re on the next flight out here. His sister hasn’t responded to any of our calls, however. We do know that she works mainly at night and we’re hoping she got a voicemail from us and that we’ll hear back from her,” Sunmi said.

“I haven’t told anyone else, I think we should save those phone calls for tomorrow,” Jinsoul said, speaking to Haseul.

Haseul nodded and then moved to sit on the couch. Jinsoul moved to sit on the other end of the L-shaped couch, giving Haseul some space for now. Sunmi stood by the front door, peering out every so often. A few minutes later, headlights streaked through the windows and a car turned off. “Officer Ok is back. I’m going to leave in a bit,” Sunmi said, opening the door for the man to step through.

“Ladies,” he said, nodding at them both. Sunmi and Taecyeon talked for a bit before Sunmi was bidding them all a good night and stepping out the door. Taaecyeon set his bag down by the armchair on the far end of the room. “Ladies, if you don’t mind, I’m going to sleep here in the chair. I’m a light sleeper so if you need anything, just wake me up. Have either of you eaten recently? I can get you some food, if you need it.”

Nether Jinsoul nor Haseul were thinking about food right now. “I think we’re ok, for right now. But thank you.”

“Of course,” the man said.

It was quiet for a long moment before Haseul stood up. “I’m going to go sit in the nursery.” She turned and walked upstairs without another word.

Jinsoul watched her go as Taecyeon sat down in the arm chair. He had since changed out of his uniform and into more comfortable jeans and a hoodie. “You’re going to get sick of people asking you this, I’m sure, but how are you?” He asked Jinsoul.

She looked at him, not really sure how to answer. “I don’t know. This is all just happening so fast. Haseul called me and all she could do was cry and I rushed over and then suddenly one of our friends is dead and now Haseul is in charge of raising her infant triplets. There’s just a lot to process.”

“I understand. Take your time, this is all very shocking. It’s ok to not be ok right now.” His words hit Jinsoul deep.

“How much training do you guys go through in order to console people like this?” Jinsoul asked.

Taecyeon chuckled before exhaling heavily. “Off the record?” he asked, teasingly. “Not enough. But I didn’t want to be a cop with emotional immaturity, I wanted to make sure I knew what the hell I was doing. I ended up taking classes, and getting a degree that helped me focus on empathy.”

Jinsoul nodded, feeling impressed. “I didn’t realize that was a thing.”

Taecyeon nodded. “That’s not  _ exactly _ what it was, but I won’t bore you with the details of my education. I won’t pretend to be your therapist right now, but if you do want to talk, and get even just one little thing off your chest, I’m right here.”

“And I really appreciate that. But if I talk now, I’m going to have my first breakdown and I’m not ready for that just yet. I want to be here in support for her,” Jinsoul said, looking up towards the stairs.

“I understand,” Taecyeon said. “Take your time. Everyone grieves differently.”

Jinsoul nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually, Taecyeon slumped in his chair and closed his eyes, but Jinsoul could tell he was still awake. She quickly grew restless and decided to head upstairs. She slowly walked up the steps and around the corner, peeking into the nursery as quiet as possible. The girls were all still asleep, Jinsoul could hear their breathing from the doorway. She stepped more into the room, and turned to the recliner, seeing Haseul curled up on it just looking at Hyejoo’s crib. “Seul?” Jinsoul gently called out to her.

Haseul didn’t turn to her. Jinsoul thought she hadn’t heard her when she suddenly responded. “I don’t know how to be a mom,” she whispered.

Her words sat heavily on Jinsoul’s shoulders. “I think you’ll be a great mom.”

“Yeah, but I’m not  _ their _ mom.” Haseul’s voice broke slightly. Jinsoul walked over and in one smooth motion that she had done a hundred times, she scooped Haseul up and sat down where she was just sitting. Haseul immediately curled into her and wrapped one arm around her back. She brought her other hand down and grabbed one of Jinsoul’s playing with her fingers absentmindedly.

Jinsoul rested her head on Haseul’s. “No matter what happens from this point forward, you have me. I’m not going anywhere. You have Sooyoung, and Jiwoo, and Vivi, and Jungeun. And Somi is going to be here at some point and I know for a fact she’s not going anywhere. You have a whole team of people who are going to be with you the entire time. Don’t think you have to do this alone, because you aren’t alone.”

Haseul was silently crying by the time Jinsoul finished. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but thank you for always being here.”

Jinsoul lightly kissed the side of her head. “You’re the one person I could never leave.”

They sat like that for a while, relishing in the other’s company in the silent nursery. Their peace didn’t last very long, however. Like Gahyeon predicted, Yerim woke up fussy and sounded very uncomfortable. Both Jinsoul and Haseul perked up at the sounds. Jinsoul looked up at Haseul with the same goofy grin she always had. “You get the first diaper change,” she said.

Haseul rolled her eyes and elbowed Jinsoul in the gut as she stood up. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Jinsoul said.

Haseul flipped on the lamp above the changing table and went to pick Yerim up. “Alright, baby girl. I got you, I’ve got you.” Haseul made quick work of changing Yerim’s diaper and bundling her back up. She quickly stepped into the bathroom next door to toss out the diaper and wash her hands before coming back in. Instead of laying her back down, Haseul cradled Yerim in her arms and walked back over to join Jinsoul in the recliner. She sat down slowly and leaned back onto the taller girl. “She’s so small,” she whispered.

Jinsoul wrapped one arm around Hahseul’s waist and brought the other hand up to softly stroke Yerim’s head. The baby was still awake, but was fighting it off and losing. “She’s only 8 months old.”

Haseul smiled down at Yerim, her grin widening when Yerim grabbed one of her fingers tightly. “I hate that they’re gone. That they’ll grow up never having memories of their parents.”

Jinsoul tightened her grip on Haseul. “We’ll make sure they know they were loved. We’ll give them memories, I promise.”

“Yeah?” Haseul said, fighting off tears.

“Yeah,” Jinsoul assured.

To their surprise, all three of the inhabitants in the chair fell asleep rather quickly, wrapped up in each other. Haseul dreamt of her dearest friend, and days she once believed she would be able to spend with her. 


End file.
